Dictionary approves New Entries

[MULTIZ321]

Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary now includes -

edamame - immature green soybeans

pescatarian - a vegetarian who eats fish

prosecco - a sparkling Italian wine

soju - a Korean vodka distilled from rice

Norovirus - small,round single-stranded RNA viruses, such as the Norwalk Virus

mondegreen - it describes words mistaken for other words. A mondegreen most often comes from misunderstood phrases or lyrics. It comes from an old Scottish ballad in which the lyric "laid him on the green" has been confused over time with "Lady Mondegreen." Among the best known modern examples:
"There's a bathroom on the right" in place of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "There's a bad moon on the rise" and "Scuse me, while I kiss this guy" in place of "kiss the sky" in the 1967 Jimi Hendrix classic Purple Haze.

Meriam-Webster's editors were so amused by the mondegreen concept that they plan to ask people to submit their favorites on the company's Web site.


Richard

 

[Patri]

I wonder when 'google' will mean search, and 'kleenex' will mean tissue?

 

[Jestjoan]

Google and Kleenex

You mean they don't?

We've been served Prosecco from Costco. Very good.

 

[dmharris]

mondegreen - it describes words mistaken for other words. A mondegreen most often comes from misunderstood phrases or lyrics. It comes from an old Scottish ballad in which the lyric "laid him on the green" has been confused over time with "Lady Mondegreen." Among the best known modern examples:
"There's a bathroom on the right" in place of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "There's a bad moon on the rise" and "Scuse me, while I kiss this guy" in place of "kiss the sky" in the 1967 Jimi Hendrix classic Purple Haze.

Meriam-Webster's editors were so amused by the mondegreen concept that they plan to ask people to submit their favorites on the company's Web site.


Richard

There is an actual book, "scuse me while I kiss this guy" and other misheard lyrics by Gavin Edwards. Here's a classic misheard lyric from the Beatles "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". . . correct lyrics = The girl with kaleidoscope eyes . . . misheard = The girl with colitis goes by
:hysterical:
fun little book

 

[Carol C]

Thanks for posting! "Soju" might come in handy for Scrabble!

 

[Blues]

"Scuse me, while I kiss this guy" in place of "kiss the sky" in the 1967 Jimi Hendrix classic Purple Haze.

http://www.kissthisguy.com/

I posted this link in response to another TUG thread. Be sure to click on the "Click here" link on the home page for an interesting story about the history of this mondegreen (thanks for the new vocabulary, Richard). It seems that Jimi knew about the misheard lyric, and played into it.

-Bob

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

And all of these years I've been thinking that Pescaterians were Christian church-goers who only eat fish on Friday. I think I can recall a conversation in which someone said they raised in a devout Pescaterian family.

 

[nicklinneh]

my favorite mondegreen is "gardyloo". it was a warning uttered to pedestrians below when 17th century denizens of Edinburg, Scotland emptied their chamberpots into the street from their overhanging windows. It came from the French "regardez l'eau" look out for the water! --ken

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Another mondegreen, from the lyrics of God Bless America:

Stand beside her
And guide her
Through the night
With a light from a bulb.

 

[Jestjoan]

Mondegreens

http://www.sfgate.com/columnists/carroll/mondegreens.shtml

http://www.corsinet.com/braincandy/wrlyric.html

http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/humor/mondegreens.asp

 

[Sandy VDH]

That is sort of what happened with Iron Butterfly's "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida". Only they kept the works as "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida". The singer was so wasted he couldn't talk, he apparently was suppose to sing, "In the Garden of Eden", but they liked what they got so much they just keep it. Or that is at least one of the stories.

wikipedia even uses mondegreen in there definition, so see the link if you like.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida